Barnett & Company Inc. Sells 850 Shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS)

Barnett & Company Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) by 4.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 20,593 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 850 shares during the period. Discover Financial Services comprises about 1.9% of Barnett & Company Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Barnett & Company Inc.’s holdings in Discover Financial Services were worth $2,889,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 47.6% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,774 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP increased its holdings in shares of Discover Financial Services by 14.6% in the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 12,107 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,698,000 after buying an additional 1,544 shares during the period. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Discover Financial Services by 14.0% in the 3rd quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,179 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $586,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. Versor Investments LP boosted its holdings in Discover Financial Services by 21.5% during the 3rd quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 75,963 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,657,000 after acquiring an additional 13,427 shares during the period. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Discover Financial Services by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 316 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. 86.94% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Discover Financial Services Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE DFS traded down $1.46 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $179.93. The stock had a trading volume of 253,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,673,619. The business’s 50 day moving average is $144.54 and its 200-day moving average is $134.68. Discover Financial Services has a 52 week low of $82.68 and a 52 week high of $188.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.28. The company has a market cap of $45.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.64, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 1.41.

Discover Financial Services (NYSE:DFS) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 16th. The financial services provider reported $3.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.28 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $5.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.36 billion. Discover Financial Services had a return on equity of 21.38% and a net margin of 13.78%. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.59 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Discover Financial Services will post 13.22 EPS for the current year.

Discover Financial Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 21st will be issued a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 21st. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Discover Financial Services’s payout ratio is 22.60%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Discover Financial Services from $115.00 to $119.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Discover Financial Services from $135.00 to $137.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Discover Financial Services from $156.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Discover Financial Services from $132.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Discover Financial Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $138.81.

Discover Financial Services Company Profile

Discover Financial Services, through its subsidiaries, provides digital banking products and services, and payment services in the United States. It operates in two segments, Digital Banking and Payment Services. The Digital Banking segment offers Discover-branded credit cards to individuals; personal loans, home loans, and other consumer lending; and direct-to-consumer deposit products comprising savings accounts, certificates of deposit, money market accounts, IRA certificates of deposit, IRA savings accounts and checking accounts, and sweep accounts.